Competitiveness

* Phoenix and Edgeworth get... super competitive with board games and video games, to the suprise of no one. Phoenix is usually better and will childishly rub it in Miles' face forever. Edgeworth will huff and grumpily complain about how immature Wright is being right now and how this is ridiculous and he's not getting down to his level, but secretly (okay, not so secretly, it's obvious to everyone), he totally cares just as much and he is DETERMINED to beat him. After about two dozen rematches (or when a third party makes them stop and they get to actually relax and think) they burn themselves out and realize how silly they've been acting, and also that Maya probably already uploaded a video of them trying to beat each other in Dance Dance Revolution.
* She just might be introducing them to the silliest possible games to get all competitive about on purpose.
* They get very embarrassed about the video, and then Phoenix will mention how he was still better, though.
* Edgeworth WOULD totally beat Phoenix in Chess, of course. It's just that Phoenix doesn't even know the rules and doesn't care to learn so it's all hypothetical for them.
* Speaking of competitiveness, this was actually super-important to get Edgeworth out of the initial "WHAT ARE RELATIONSHIP NNNGHH!" phase. I already said I think he was probably the more nervous and flustered one initially: he has even less romantic experience with Phoenix, is deathly allergic to his own emotions and gets easily freaked out when he feels he's not in control of a situation (hense his quick shifts from "ha ha I'm smarter then everyone" to "NNNGHOOOO" when something really suprises him in court. Nick doesn't gets it quite as bad because he's never in control of any situation ever, please help this man. So he's used to it.)
* So, anyway, it's early in their relationship and Edgeworth's nervous and it's mostly Wright who keeps getting him flustrated because he's more open about his emotions (at least about his emotions toward Edgeworth) and they need to figure out Edgeworth's boundaries togather. And then Edgeworth started feeling crappy about that, maybe relationships really just aren't for him after all, no matter how much he likes that person? After all, Wright likes him a lot too, and he seems to be having far less troubles with this.
* And then Miles realized that if he thinks about dating stuff like being honest with your emotions, or getting your SO adorably flustered, or physical affection - as something he can BEST Wright in. Well... I'm not gonna say this was the healtheist mindset forever and ever, but it did help get over the early relationship stress.